1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dressing for holding a catheter or cannula in place.
2. Description of the Related Art
Commercially available intravenous dressings typically comprise a thin moisture vapour permeable sheet material which has on one surface a skin compatible pressure sensitive adhesive which is in turn covered by a single sheet removable protector. In use the dressing is adhered so as to cover the intravenous access site and the catheter or cannula. One problem with such dressings is that usually a bulky connector or hub is present at the proximal end of the catheter or cannula whereby connection can be made with a source of infusion fluid. This is usually in the form of a female luer lock component. Other devices may be present at this hub such as taps or injection ports or the like. The connector or hub is necessarily exposed to the atmosphere and therefore can provide a pathway whereby bacteria may reach the injection site since the connector cannot be totally enclosed beneath the dressing.
One way of overcoming this problem is to use two types of dressing one covering the injection site and one ensuring that bacteria cannot migrate from the connector along the catheter or cannula to the injection site. This type of dressing is disclosed in European Patent Application No.EP-A-0284219 and includes a handle having an edge which defines an aperture for receiving a connector and a backing film for covering a wound site. The handle is formed of a different material from the backing film and consists of a moisture vapour permeable material coated with adhesive on its body facing side.
Although this arrangement is advantageous in many respects over other prior art cannula or catheter dressings, nursing staff often find this type of dressing difficult to apply.
German Patent No.DE4117282 describes a cannula or catheter dressing which comprises, inter alia, a dressing material provided with a cannula receiving longitudinal slot and one or more handles which lie along an edge parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot. However, such dressings suffer from the disadvantage that they require the use of two hands to be applied and thus nursing staff generally find them difficult to apply.
Some prior art dressings also suffer from the disadvantage that the junction between a handle portion and a body portion tends to be relatively weak and is often a site of failure of the dressing by the handle separating from the body portion.
We have now found a novel cannula or catheter dressing which overcomes or mitigates the aforementioned disadvantages.
It is a particular disadvantage of prior art dressing which comprise non-integral handles than the juncture between the handle and the body portion is frangible.